Chapter 8 Chapter VII

"Miss Ping," Sao Walnut appeared at Lucy's elbow, "Let's run away together." The school on Wednesday morning, shrouded in the shadow of the final exam, was silent.Lucy leaned against the five-barred gate, staring out at a field of buttercups.This is the end of Lai's College Garden and the beginning of the countryside.Beyond the tentacles of Rabo Town, a real country field, unadorned.There is a small stream at the back end of the golden phoenix garden, followed by the cricket field, and beyond that is an endless landscape mixed with hedges, bushes and pastures; a landscape intertwined with gold, white and green, sleeping in the In the morning sun.

Lucy struggled to move her fascinated eyes away from a field of golden phoenix flowers shining yellow, while thinking about how many flowered dresses this Brazilian girl still has. She's wearing one now, in a bright pattern that dwarfs conservative British florals. "Where do you suggest we run to?" "Let's go to the village." "Is there a village nearby?" "There are villages everywhere in the UK, and the countryside is like this. The difference is that there is a town of Billington here. From here through the treetops, you can see the weather indicator on the top of the church."

"It seems very far away," Lucy never liked to walk, and it's quite comfortable to stay here. It's been a long time since she saw such a whole golden phoenix garden, let alone being able to enjoy it so much . "Is Billington a big place?" "Yes, there are two taverns." Diderot knew it all well. "And besides, the town has all the things that an English country should have. Queen Elizabeth lived there, and Charles II used to hide in the town still; the remains of the crusaders are still buried in the church - one of them looks like my family's ranch man in Brazil - the farmhouses of the town appear on postcards or books sold in the shop, the town -"

"You mean the guide book?" "No, no, it's written by a famous author, you know. I read his book when I first came to Lai's Sports Academy. The title of the book is "Raindrops in the Sky". It's full of breasts and abnormalities. Relationship. The book talks about the martyrs of Billington - the six men who threw stones at the police station and went to prison in the last century. Try to think about it, in this town with such a history! In my hometown, people use knives because it's too expensive to use pistols - we bury the dead with flowers, cry a lot and forget about it for a week."

"Uh--" "We can have a cup of coffee in the little teapot teahouse." "Must be an irish shop, isn't it?" But no matter how smart a foreigner is, there are times when he makes mistakes. "I can tell you, it's real coffee. It's rich in flavor and tastes great. Well, Miss Ping, it's only fifteen minutes away, and it's not even ten o'clock. Anyway, I was called to eat boiled beans at one o'clock Before, there was nothing to do here." "Don't you have to take the exam?" Lucy obediently passed through the gate that Diderot had opened for her.

"I'll probably have to take an exam in anatomy. Like you said, fun! I've taken every class, and it's fun to see what I know. Anatomy is worth it. Of course." , It is quite laborious to learn, and there is no room for imagination, but it is still worth learning." "I suppose so. Not to look like a fool in an emergency or accident." "Emergency or accident?" Obviously Diderot was not thinking about it at all. "Oh! Yes. But I mean, this subject will not become obsolete. Your subject, Miss Ping, please forgive me, will gradually become out of fashion, won't it? It's not worth the effort. Today's originality may be tomorrow's absurdity, but a collarbone will always be a collarbone.

Do you understand?" Lucy understood, and was overwhelmed by the idea of ​​such a budget. "So tomorrow when the lower grades take anatomy, I will also take it together. It's a commendable thing, and my grandmother will surely approve of my approach.Today everyone is busy solving puzzles, and I am walking to the town of Billington for coffee with the charming Miss Ping. ""Puzzle?" Sao Walnut took out a memo from his coat pocket and read: "If the ball is hit or touched by an in-bounds player before it hits the ground, how will it be judged?" At this moment, silence speaks louder than words, she folded the paper engraved on the steel plate and put it back in her pocket.

"If they're still doing quizzes for competitions, how do you have papers?" "Miss Varger gave it to me. She said it made me happy, and it worked." Between the bed of yellow buttercups and the hedge of white hawthorn a path led down to the brook.They stopped on the bridge and watched the water flow under the shade of the weeping willows. "There," Diderot pointed to the horizon at the other end of the stream, "is the arena. It gets muddy in winter, and they have to put ropes on their shoes to keep them from slipping." Lucy wondered if Diderot was saying: "They wear nose rings to attract attention." Because the tone is definitely the same. "We're going downstream now, and the next bridge will lead to the road. It's not really a road, it's just a path."

As she spoke, she walked towards the small walkway under the shade of the tree, like an elegant and strangely colored dragonfly.Lucy was amazed that she had not said a word, not disturbed the tranquility in the slightest. When they walked up the path, she finally said, "Miss Ping, do you have any money?" "No," Lucy paused in frustration. "Me neither, but it doesn't matter, Miss Neville will help us." "Who is Miss Nevill?" "The owner of the teahouse." "Unusual, isn't it?" "Not to me. I often forget to bring money, but Miss Nevill is very kind. Don't be discouraged, dear Miss Ping, I have a good reputation in the town, just watch it."

This small village is really exactly what Diderot described, and Miss Neville is equally well-deserved.The same goes for the small teapot teahouse.It's the kind of old-fashioned teahouse that's dismissed by those who prefer a new-style bread, cheese and beer establishment.But for a generation that loves tea and has a penchant for small shops behind country bakeries, rough bread with flies and bugs, dirty teacups and dark, strong tea, it is a treasure. It has all the charms of a country tavern in literature: Indian trees painted on china, dark oak tables, Jacobean flowers on linen cushions, a few plants in unglazed stoneware. Plants; some handicrafts are also placed on the windowsill.There is a strong smell of cake coming from the oven; except for a row of windows facing the road, the windows facing the garden at the rear reflect bright light, creating a harmonious, peaceful and welcoming atmosphere.

Miss Nevill, a bulky figure in a calico apron, greets Diderot as an old friend and asks her if she "plays hockey, as you say, on the other side of the Atlantic".Walnut Show declined to comment on the comparisons that compared her to a Brooklyn alley. "This is Miss Ping. Miss Ping wrote some books on psychology and came to Lai's College as a guest." Diderot introduced Lucy politely. "I told her you have really good coffee here, and the customers are generally respectful. Neither of us brought any money, but we wanted to eat first and pay later." This seemed to be an unusual proposal to Miss Navier, and she went to the kitchen to get coffee without surprise or objection.The teahouse was empty at this time of the morning, and Lucy wandered about, looking at the old traces and the new art - although she saw the bedding made of palm fronds, she was glad that Miss Nevill hadn't put some brass The fake doorknob—then sat down at the table with Diderot and looked out the window at the street scene.Before the coffee was served, a middle-aged couple entered the store. They came by car, looking like they were looking for a place.Their car is like the kind driven by a township doctor, with low fuel consumption, and it is about three or four years old.But the woman coming from the other side of the car and smiling at her husband was definitely not your typical doctor's wife. Gray-haired, slender, with long legs and narrow feet wrapped in good shoes.Lucy admired the woman.It is rare to see such a well-born and elegant person nowadays. "In my hometown," Diderot looked at the woman and cast a contemptuous glance at the car, "such a woman would have a driver and a servant." A middle-aged couple was behaving so unusually that Lucy wondered as they walked in.They looked like they were on vacation.They came in, looking at Lucy and Diderot questioningly. "Yes, that's right," said the woman. "She's talking about the window looking on to the garden, with the old London Bridge on it." They moved to the window, quietly and involuntarily began to study, and sat down at the table in front of the window.Lucy was relieved that if she could have chosen a man to match this woman, she would have chosen the same; he might be a little melancholy, more devoted to his own ideas than the woman, but he was handsome.He reminded Lucy of someone she admired quite a bit, but couldn't remember who.Maybe it's those two eyebrows.Thick, dark eyebrows drooped down to the eyes. She found his attire to be rather old; though ironed, there were signs of age. The woman's tweed suit was too shabby, and the traces of patching on the ankles of the silk stockings were clearly visible.Her hands look like they've been doing chores for years, and her beautiful gray hair is homewashed and uncurled.Why is this poor woman so happy? Is it just because she is on vacation with her beloved husband? Is it because of this, that there is a childlike delight in her shining gray eyes? In came coffee and a large plate of spiced cake, freshly baked and crunchy on the side.Lucy decided, just for once, to put her weight behind her and enjoy herself. She often makes such decisions. As she was pouring the coffee, she heard the man say, "Good morning, we came from the west bank to try your pancakes. I wonder if you have time to help us make pancakes. Will it be too busy in the morning?" ?” "It's okay if you're too busy," said the woman with the torn hands. "We'd like to order that cake that smells good, too." Ms. Navier said that it will take a little time to prepare the pancakes, because she has to make the biscuit ingredients fresh, and I am afraid that she will not be able to follow the standard procedures. The ingredients that have been left for too long cannot make good pancakes.Moreover, few people order pancakes in summer. "I guess so. Just because our daughter at Lai's College used to talk about delicious pancakes, and it's probably the only time we'll get to taste them." The woman smiled, half as if thinking of their daughter, The other half is the childish desire to laugh at yourself. It turns out that they are the parents of the students. Whose parents? Lucy watched from the top of her coffee cup. Maybe Boa's parents.Of course not, Bao'er's family is very rich.So who could it be? Rationing Dax is good, but there will be problems.Dex's flaxen head could not have been inherited from a dark-haired man, and it was impossible for this steady and intelligent woman to have given birth to a child as reckless as Dex. Suddenly, she recognized those eyebrows. Innes's. They are Innes' parents.Oddly enough, Innes' personality could be seen in them.Her solemn personality, her expression that does not belong to this century, her attitude that cannot feel the joy of life.There must be a certain level of quality of life, and there are not enough financial resources to maintain this level.For a girl whose academic success is her responsibility, this burden is indeed not light. After Miss Nevill left, there was a moment of silence in the air. Lucy heard her own voice say, "Excuse me, is your surname Innes?" They turned to Lucy and stayed for a while, the woman smiled: "Yes, did we meet somewhere?" "No," said poor Lucy, who often blushed uncontrollably when she impulsively threw herself into embarrassing situations. "But I know your husband's eyebrows." "My eyebrows?" said Mr. Innes. His shrewd wife laughed. "Of course, Mary! Then you must be from Lai's. Do you know Mary?" As she spoke, her face brightened and her voice rose as if singing.Do you know Marie? Is she so happy because she is going to see her daughter today? Lucy introduces herself and also introduces Diderot, who is delighted that the charming couple knows her inside out. "We know almost everything about Lai's College," Mrs. Innes said, "even though we have never been to this place." "Never been to Lai's College? By the way, would you like to sit down and have coffee with us?" "Before Mary came here to study, this place was too far away for us. So we decided to come to the results release event before she finished her studies." Lucy guessed that if it wasn't for the travel expenses, Innes's The mother would never have waited so many years to come to Lai's College. She must really hope to see with her own eyes the life her daughter led under her arrangement. "Now you must go to Lai's Academy?" "No, unfortunately, we're not going. We're going to Labeau, and my husband—he's a doctor—has a medical conference. We can't make it to Lay's. Besides, it's finals week, parents. Running suddenly for no reason will only distract Mary. It's so close, it's really sad that you can't get in, but it's been waiting for so long anyway, it doesn't matter if you wait another ten days. What's really irresistible is not Take a detour to the town of Billington. Didn't expect to meet people from school here at this time, especially during final exams, but we really wanted to see the places Mary often mentioned." "We know there won't be time for anything else on the day the results are released," Dr. Innes said, "There will be so much to see. Their training is very diverse, isn't it?" Lucy couldn't agree more, and spoke of the diverse world she discovered in the staff room. "Yeah, we didn't quite get it when Mary first chose the program as a career—she was never particularly interested in competitions, and I thought she was going to study medicine—but she said I hope that my future career can have many levels, and she seems to have achieved her wish." Lucy remembered the willpower displayed under those thick eyebrows, and her judgment of reading people's appearance was indeed correct; once Innes made up his mind, he would never give up lightly.That's right, eyebrows are the most helpful.If one day it is no longer popular to discuss psychology, she will write a book on physiognomy.Of course, with a pseudonym.Intellectuals generally still look down on physiognomy. "Your daughter is so beautiful," Diderot said suddenly.She took a quick mouthful of the spice cake, then noticed the surprised silence. "In England, isn't it bad to compliment a daughter's beauty in front of her parents" "No," said Mrs. Innes hastily, "it's not so, it's just that we never thought Mary was pretty. Of course, she looked pretty; at least we thought so. She was our only daughter, and she was Parents always think their kids are cute. She—” "When I first came to this place," said Diderot, reaching for another cake from the tray, (how she kept herself in shape!) "it happened to be raining, and there were dead leaves dripping from the trees, like Dead bats, water dripping on everyone, running around in a hurry and saying, 'Oh, how are you, honey? How are you playing? You won't believe it, honey, I forgot my cue at the judging stand! ' Then I saw a girl who neither ran nor spoke, who looked a bit like the portrait of my great-grandmother's grandmother that hung in the living room of my grandmother's house, and I Just say: 'After all, this is not a place for outsiders. If this girl can stay here, it means that this place is not as barbaric as it seems. I want to stay. 'Miss Ping, please, do you still have coffee? She is not just beautiful, she is the most beautiful person in Lai's College. "Where's Boa Nash?" Lucy guarded Boa faithfully. "Christmas in England—a little milk, please, Miss Ping—there are always beautiful pictures in the magazines to be framed and hung in front of the fireplace to keep everyone well Mood. The pictures are bright—” "Come on now," said Mrs. Innes, "it's pure slander! Bea is lovely, really charming, and you know that. I forgot you knew Bea too." She turned to Lucy, "actually , you know all of them. We only knew Boa because she once came to our house for vacation.At Easter, the weather on the west coast of England is slightly better than elsewhere.Mary also visited Bowie's for a few weeks during the summer.We appreciate Boa. ’ She looked at her husband and asked him to agree, since he was almost completely absent from the conversation. Dr. Innes sat up straight—when he wasn't sitting up he looked like an overworked practitioner—and there was boyish mischief and amused expression on his serious face. "It was a strange thing to see our able and confident Mary put in care." Although Mrs. Innes did not feel that Dr. Innes gave her enough support, she decided to use it to make a good use of it. "Maybe," she seemed to be thinking about this for the first time, "we take Mary's self-confidence as a matter of course, so she thinks it's a good feeling to be taken care of." Then she said to Miss Ping. "I think it's because they complement each other that they're good friends. I'm happy because we really like Boa, and because it's not easy for Marie to make close friends." "Is their training rigorous?" asked Dr. Innes. "Sometimes I look at her notebook and wonder why they have to read a lot of things that even doctors forget about when they leave medical school." .” "Villi cross-section." Lucy remembered the term. "Yeah, stuff like that. Looks like you learned a lot of medical terms in four days." The pancakes arrived, and even though they weren't made according to standard procedures, they were worth the drive from the West Coast to enjoy fresh from the oven.Happy party.Indeed, Lucy felt that the whole tea room was filled with a pleasant atmosphere, which echoed the sunshine outside.Even on the doctor's tired face, there was an expression of satisfaction and relaxation.As for Mrs. Innes, it seems that being able to go to the place where her daughter often comes is enough to make her happy, and, in a few days, she will be able to meet her daughter and accept her academic achievements. Lucy thought that if she had really returned to London earlier, she would not have been able to share all this.What am I going to be doing at eleven o'clock in the morning? Going for a walk in the park, thinking of some excuse to not attend some literary dinner.And now, because Dr. Knight is going to a medical conference tomorrow, let me have it all.No, it should be said that it was because Handa stood up for me in school many years ago.It is not easy, however, to reconcile England under a bright June sun with the gloomy school halls of thirty years ago, filled with schoolchildren wanting to put shoe covers on. But that was the beginning of it all, wasn't it? "It was a good time," said Mrs. Innes, standing on the street again. at school" "I hope so." Lucy didn't know if she could sleep on a bed for so long with Handa. "You two promised not to tell anyone you saw us today!" Dr. Innes said. "We swear." The two watched their new friend get into the car. "Do you think I can speed up the car without hitting the post office?" Dr. Innes wondered. "I don't want to see any more martyrs in Billington," replied his wife. "Martyrs are so sad. But, on the other hand, isn't life so much fun without adventure?" So Dr. Innes started the engine and set off on the road of adventure.The front wheels grazed the white walls of the post office, leaving a smudge. "Jeff Innes standards," Mrs. Innes waved to them, "see you on the day of the results release!" They watched the car drive up the side street of the town, and then turn onto the field road in the direction of Lai's College. "Good man," Diderot said. "Charming. Funny to think about, we might never have met them if you hadn't wanted some cake and coffee this morning." "It is because I trust you that I tell you that this is the British who makes other people in the world envy. Quiet, educated, and handsome. They're poor, don't you see? Her shirt is almost torn from the wash, and I think it's supposed to be blue. You can tell when she bends forward and the corners of her collar come up.It's not right that people like this are so poor. ""My daughter is so near, and it must make Mrs. Innes very sad not to be able to see her. " Lucy said with emotion. "Yeah, but this woman has a lot of personality. She was right not to come. All the seniors are too busy. Take some time off, and whew—the whole structure will fall." She said from the bridge. Picked a daisy from the bank next to it, and let out a giggle.It was the first time Lucy had heard her laugh like that. "I don't know how my classmates are going to solve the puzzle of their one-foot crossing the line." Lucy was thinking about what Innes said about her in her letters home every Sunday. "It's going to be fun," Mrs. Innes would say, "and read Mary's letter when you get home and see what she says about you. It's about relativity, like going back to last night." "It's strange that Innes reminds you of the people in the portrait," Lucy said to Diderot. "She made me think so too." "Yeah, my great-grandmother's grandmother." Diderot dropped the daisy on the water and watched the stream slowly carry it away under the bridge. "But I didn't tell the nice couple that my great-grandmother's grandmother wasn't very popular in her day." "Oh, maybe it's shyness. It's called an inferiority complex these days." "I don't know that. Her husband died too coincidentally. A husband's death so coincidentally makes a woman sad." "You mean she murdered her husband?" Lucy stood horrified in the summer landscape. "Oh, no. It's not a scandal," said Diderot reproachfully, "but her husband's death was a coincidence, and he drank, gambled, and had no charm. Step on it. That's all." "Did she remarry?" asked Lucy, engrossed in the story. "No. She's not in love with anyone else. She's bringing up her son, and besides, no one continues to gamble, and her son's land holdings are safer. She manages them well. My grandmother inherited that talent. When she crossed the sea to marry my grandfather, she never left the West End; and six months later, she was managing all the assets." Diderot sighed admiringly, "The English are amazing!"